Apparatus for transporting and storing bulk cargo



June 29, 1965 3,191,568

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING AND STORING BULK CARGO C. E. SCHROEDER ETAL.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 15, 1963 INVENTORS C424 5 Smeaenae f DAV/'0f-Z C0445 Jlihe 29, 1965 c. E. SCHROEDER ETAL 3,191,568

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING' AND STORING BULK CARGO Filed Feb.- 13, 1963r s Sheets-Sheet '2- INVENTORS CARL B 56/420605? DA v70 CuuJ-A/ June 29,1965 c. E. SCHROEDER ETAL APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING AND STORING BULKCARGO 3 Sheets-Sheet s Filed Feb. 15, 1963 all a?! INVENTORS Iv. Z w. Yu a W W /m 5.0 .7 am A a% v B United States Patent 3,191,568 APPARATUFGR TRANSPORTING AND STGRING BULK CARGO Carl E. Schroeder and David P.Cullen, Ponca City, Okla., assignors to Continental Oil Company, PoncaCity, Dlda, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 13, $63, Ser. No.258,227

9 Claims. (Cl. 114-74) The present invention relates to apparatus fortransporting and storing bulk cargo, and more particularly, but not byway of limitation, relates to an improved apparatus for storing andtransporting low temperature liquids by ship.

Low temperature liquids, such as liquefied natural gas, have twoproperties which cause serious problems when transporting the liquid bysea. First, when the liquetied gas is at approximately atmosphericpressure, its temperature is on the order of 26() Fahrenheit, and thislow temperature tends to crystallize and substantially weaken the morecommon steels used for ship building if the liquid comes in contact withthe steel or is not thermally insulated from the steel. Second, the lowdensity of the liquefied natural gas, which is on the order of 3.55pounds per gallon, as compared with 8.34 pounds per gallon for water,results in a high center of gravity and serious stability problems whentransporting the liquid by ship. These two factors combined make itdifficult to design a vessel having a maximum bulk cargo space for agiven tonnage.

Ocean going vessels presently in use for transporting liquefied naturalgas are about twice as high as a conventional tanker from keel to maindeck in order to accommodate the same tonnage of cargo. These vesselshave a high freeboard double hull with the inner hull divided into largeholds. Each of the holds is insulated with about twelve inches of balsawood, and individual tanks of suitably alloy construction, such asaluminum, are installed in each of the insulated holds. These tanks arerigid, free standing structures and do not depend upon the hull of theship for strength. Of course the tanks are suitably fixed to the hull toprevent sliding or tilting during movements of the vessel. The highcenter of gravity of the vessel requires that water be carried in thedouble hull as ballast at all times in order to maintain the shipsstability. The insulation on the inner face of the inner hull protectsthe carbon steel structure of the vessel from the extreme cold of theliquefied natural gas cargo. Elaborate purging systems are installed tocirculate nitrogen or other inactive gas through the double hull of thevessel and through the insulation in order to prevent fires and theformation of frost spots. Further, elaborate temperature sensingsysterms are provided to detect any frost spots which may occur at anypoint on the hull of the vessel.

The present invention contemplates an improved apparatus fortransporting and storing hydrocarbons at substantially atmosphericpressure and at low temperature, comprising a buoyant container for theliquefied hydrocarbon and a self-propelled vessel having a hull, afloodab'le hold and closure means in the hull for opening the hold andpermitting the container to be floated into the hold. The water withinthe fioodable hold serves to support and insulate the container, and asballast for lowering the center of gravity and maintaining stability ofthe vessel.

Therefore, an important object of the present invention is to provide asimplified vessel and container system for transporting liquefiednatural gas in which the ballast Water is utilized to both supportandthermally insulate the liquid containers from the hull of the vessel.

3,1915% Patented June 29, 1965 ice Another object of the presentinvention is to provide transportation apparatus of the type describedwhich has a greater bulk capacity for a given total tonnage and istherefore more efiicient.

Another object of the present invention is to provide transportationapparatus of the type described which requires no thermal insulatingbarriers to be built into the vessel.

Still another object of the present invention is to providetransportation apparatus of the type described which does not requireelaborate inert gas purge systems and temperature sensing means formonitoring the temperature of the structural steel of the vessel.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide transportationapparatus of the type described which tends to automatically seal leakswhich may occur in the container for the liquefied natural gas.

Still another object of the present invention is to providetransportation apparatus of the type described which greatly simplifiesloading and handling of the liquefied natural gas.

Another object of the present invention is to provide transportationapparatus of the type described wherein the liquefied natural gas may bestored and transferred from inland waterways to a self-propelled, oceangoing vessel.

A still further object of the present invention is to providetransportation apparatus of the type described by which liquefiednatural gas may be transported either in relatively shallow harborwaters or on the high seas.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel fluidcontainer which is buoyant and has structural integrity so that it canbe towed through inland waterways and harbors to the ocean going vessel,or can be used as a storage container and dock when tied up in aprotected berth.

Many additional objects and advantages of the present invention will beevident to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription and drawings, wherein? FIG. 1 is a side elevation ofatransportation apparatus constructed in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional View of the hold of theapparatus of FIG. 1;

H6. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on lines 3-3 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the liquid container ofthe apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional View of a combination fluid bafile andbumper means used in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

PEG. 6 is a cross sectional view of another combination fluid baflle andbumper means for use in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view showing details of construction of thehorizontally disposed combination fluid bafile and bumper means for usein the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of another combination fluid bafile andbumper means for use in the apparatus of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, atransportation apparatus constructed in accordance with the presentinvention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. Theapparatus 10 includes a self-propelled vessel 12 comprised generally ofa hull 13 and bridge 14 and having bow and stern ends 16 and 18,respectively. The vessel 12 will customarily be of sufficient size andhave the necessary fittings for operation on the high seas. The vessel12 has a fioodable cargo hold 20 which is accessible from the sternthrough a suitable closure means such as gate 22 which is pivotallyconnected to the hull 13 of the vessel. The gate 22, as best seen inFIG. 2, may be lowered by suitable means to the position represented bythe dotted outline 22a in FIG. 1, so that the entire cross sectionalarea of the hold 20 will be open for receiving a liquefied natural gascontainer means, indicated generally by the reference numeral 32 andhereafter described in greater detail. Suitable pumps 24 may be providedfor circulating and controlling the level of water in the floodable hold20. As can best be seen in FIG. 3, the hull 13 of the vessel 12 iscomprised of an outer hull 26 and an inner hull 28 which areinterconnected by suitable bracing means 34). It will be noted that theinner hull 28 forms the walls of the hold 20.

A liquefied natural gas container, indicated generally by the referencenumeral 32, is sized to pass through the 7 opening provided by theclosure means 22 and be received in the hold 20, as will presently bedescribed. The container 32 may conveniently have an outer shell 34 castfrom reinforced concrete or other suitable material for providing arigid, self-supporting structure having suflicient structural integrityto be floated independently of the vessel 12 and towed about in themanner hereafter described in greater detail. The interior surface ofthe concrete outer shell 34 is preferably thermally insulated by asuitable layer of insulating material 36, such as balsa wood. An elasticor other suitable fluid impervious membrane 38 is then positioned on theinterior surface of the thermal layer 36 to provide a fluidtightinternal seal. Of course, it will be appreciated that the concrete alsowill provide a fluidtight container for sealing out the water in whichthe container floats. A vent 40 is provided to maintain the interior ofthe container at substantially atmospheric pressure and may be open tothe atmosphere or may be connected by suitable manifolding to theengines of the vessel 12 in a conventional manner such that the gasboiling oil from the liquefied natural gas will supply the necessaryfuel to drive the vessel.

Referring once again to FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 8, a plurality of elongated,combination fluid baffles and cushioning means are connected to theinterior hull 23 along the four walls and bottom of the hold 20. Thesefluid baffles and cushioning means are provided to control migration ofthe water in the hold 20 which floats the container 32 and therebyprevents abrupt changes in the center of gravity of the vessel as itpitches and rolls in rough water and also to maintain the container 32substantially centered as well as absorb any impact the container maymake with the walls of the hold during loading or in transit. Onecombination fluid baffle and cushioning means 42 is horizontallydisposed and extends around the periphery of the hold 20 adjacent theupper edge, as can best be seen in FIG. 2. Similarly constructed fluidbaflle and cushioning means 44, 46, 43 and are disposed transversely ofthe longitudinal axis of the hold 20 and therefore of the vessel 12 andextend downwardly along one wall, across the bottom and up the otherwall of the hold 2%). Several similarly constructed fluid baflle andcushioning means 52 and 54 may be vertically disposed at transverselyspaced points on the bulkhead at the bow of the hold 20 and on theclosure means 22 at the stern end of the hold 20, respectively. Aplurality of horizontally extending, vertically spaced fluid baflle andcushioning means 56, 58, 60, 62 and 64, having construction as hereafterdescribed in greater detail, may be connected to the inner hull 28. Itwill be noted that all of the fluid baflle and cushioning meansconstitute projections from the walls of the hold 20 and all projectinto the hold approximately the same distance. Further, it will be notedthat all of the projecting fluid baflles and cushioning means extendinto contact with the container 32, as can best be seen in FIGURE 3.

Referring now to FIGURE 5, which is a cross sectional view through thefluid baifle and cushioning means 42, and is representative of the fluidbaflle and cushioning means 44, 46, 43, 5t 52 and 54, it will be notedthat the means 42 is comprised of an inner hard rubber bumper member 66which is connected to the inner hull 28 by any suitable means. Aresilient, pneumatically inflated sheath 68 is also connected to theinner hull 28. The pneumatically inflated sheath 68 will then conform toand tend to seal against the outer surface of the container 32.

An alternative fluid baffle and cushioning means construction isillustrated by the cross sectional view of FIG- URE 6 wherein aplurality of springs 70 are disposed between a pair of elongated platemembers 72 and '74. The inner plate '72 may be suitably connected to theinner hull 28. A pneumatically inflated flexible sheath '76 is sealed tothe opposite edges of the plate 74 and if desired may extend to theopposite edges of the plate 72 in order to form a protective bellows 76aaround the springs 79. The pneumatically inflated sheath 76 will alsoconform to and form a seal against the container 32 while the springs7t) will provide a stronger bumper to arrest the more violent movementsof the container 32 relative to the vessel. I

An enlarged view of the fluid baflle and cushioning means 6i), which isrepresentative of the fluid baflle means 56, 58, 62 and 64, is shown inthe cross sectional view of FIGURE 7. The fluid baffle and cushioningmeans 60 is comprised of an elongated plate 530 which is pivotallyconnected along one edge to the inner hull 28 by a suitable hingestructure 82. Suitable spring loaded shock absorbing means 84 (only oneillustrated) are disposed at longitudinally spaced points and arepivotally connected to the inner hull 28 by suitable hinge means 86 andare also pivotally connected to a midpoint of the plate by hinge means88. The other longitudinal extending edge of the plate 80 is adapted toengage and roll on the container 32 by suitable rollers 90 which may bejournaled on the plate 80 in any suitable manner. Thus it will be notedthat the spring biased shock absorbing means 84 urges the outer edge ofthe plate 80 inwardly from the wall of the hold and continuously holdsthe rollers 90 in contact with the container 32. The shock absorbingmeans 84 will then absorb the force of impact of the container 32 whichwould otherwise be applied to the inner hull 28. Upward movement ofwater between the hull 28 and the container 32 will be effectivelyretarded by the plate 86 without applying any force to the shockabsorber means 84 because the force will be transmitted to the rigidcontainer 32 through the rollers 90. The fluid baflle and cushioningmeans 69 may be retracted by a fluid motor 91 which may be connected tothe inner hull 28. The motor 9l,preferably, has a long rod 91a whichextends vertically downwardly and is connected by a sliding pin to alever arm 91b for each plate 80. Thus when rod 91a is moved downwardlyby the motor 91, each of the plates 80 will be pivoted downwardly andinwardly toward the hull 28 against the bias of the shock absorbers 84.

Another type of fluid baflle and cushioning means is indicatedgene-rally by the reference numeral 92 and may be substituted for any ofthe fluid baflle and cushioning means previously described, The means 92is comprised of a pair of elongated plates 94 and 96 each of which ispivotally connected along one longitudinal edge to the inner hull 28 bysuitable dual hinge means 98. The plates 94 and 96 diverge from thehinge means 98 and the other longitudinal edges are adapted to engageand move along the container 32 by rollers 10% and M92, respectively,which may be journaled on the respective plates by any suitable means. Aplurality of tension springs 104 interconnect cor-responding midpointsof the plates 94 and 96 and tend to continually urge the free edges ofthe plates together. A mechanism for spreading the plates 94 and 26apart so that the container 32 may be moved into the hold 20, isindicated generally by the reference numeral 106 and is comprised of aconventional fluid motor 108,

preferably pneumatic, which is connected to the inside of the inner hull28 with the piston rod 110 extending through the inner hull 28 andbetween the plates 94- and 96. The free end of the piston rod 119 ispivotally connected to midpoints of the plates 94 and as by compressionlinkage members 112 and 114. Thus it will be noted that when the motorN8 is actuated to move the piston rod 119 to the left, when referring toFTGURE 8, the compression link-age members 1112 and 114 will spread theplates g4 and 96 against the tension of the spring 18 and draw theinwardly extending edges carrying the rollers 1th and 162 toward theinner hull 28.

A plurality of transversely extending hold-down bumper means, indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral 129, are provided to restrictvertical movement of the container 32, as will hereafter be described ingreater detail. Each of the hold-down means 120 is comprised of a hori-Zontally disposed beam 122 which extends transversely across the hold 20and is connected by suitable upright beams 124 and 126 to the oppositesides of the hull of the vessel 12. Extensions 124a and 125a of theupright beams 124 and 126, respectively, may be provided with suitableconventional means (not illustrated) for raising the beams 122 so as tofacilitate loading of the container 32, as hereafter described ingreater detail. A plurality of springs 128 are connected to theunderside of the beam 122 and to a transversely extending plate 1-30 inany suitable manner. The plate 136 then engages the top of the container32 to limit its upward movement. Thus it will be noted from FIGURE 3that the container 32 is contacted on all six sides by cushioning means.

In operation, the container 32 may be filled in the conventional mannerwith liquefied natural gas while floating in the water of a relativelyshallow berth in a harbor or upstream in a navigable river. Thecontainer 32 will, of course, float even when completely filled with thelow density liquefied natural gas, even though fabricated fromreinforced concrete as previously described. The filled container 32 maythen be towed or pushed by a tug out to the vessel 12, which may beanchored in deeper water. The gate 22 may be loweredto the position 22aand the hold 2d flooded to a depth suflicient for the container 32 to befloated through the opening into the hold.

It will be appreciated that due to the spacing of the projecting fluidbaflie and flange means along the walls of the hold, it may be necessaryto exert considerable force on the container 32 unless at least part ofthe projecting fluid baffle and cushioning means are retracted. Thefluid baflie and cushioning means constructed as shown either in FTGURE5 or FIGURE 6 may relatively easily be retracted merely by deflating thenormally inflated sheaths 68 or 76, as the case may be. Similarly, thefluid baffie means 60 can be retracted by actuation of the pneumaticmotor 91, and if the fluid baffle and cushioning means are of the typedisclosed in FIGURE 8, they may be withdrawn by actuation of thepneumatic motor res. It will also be appreciated that the plate 13%will, in most cases, have to be raised in order to easily load thecontainer 32, although the retraction of the lower portion of thetransverse fluid baffle and cushioning means 44, 46, 48 and 5% may besufficient. The plate 13% may be raised in any suitable manner, such asby raising the entire beam 129 either by moving the beam along thevertical extensions 124a and 126a, by pivoting the beam 12% from oneend, or by raising the springs 123 individually. It will also beappreciated that if necessary, suitable cable winches may be mounted onthe vessel .12 to assist in loading the container 32 into the hold 2talthough in most cases this will not be necessary. Next the closuremeans 22 is raised to the position shown in FTGURE 2 and the water inthe hold 20 brought to the proper level by the pumps 24 in order tofloat the container 32 at the desired height,

After the container 32 is loaded in this manner, the vessel 12 is readyfor movement upon the high seas, if desired. As the vessel 12 pitchesand rolls in rough water,

see

the projecting fluid baffie and cushioning means will continuallyprevent damaging collisions between the free floating container 32 andthe hull of the vessel, since as previously noted, the fluid battle andcushioning means are disposed on all four sides and the bottom of thehold 2% and the spring biased plates contact the top of the container32. Further, the fluid battle and cushioning means prevent rapidmigration of the water within the hold as the ship pitches and rolls soas to eliminate the danger of the entire ballast water rushing to oneend or one side of the hold and adversely shifting the center of gravityof the vessel. However, it will be appreciated that the fluid bafile andcushioning means need not and are not intended to provide absolutefluidtight seals, but to the contrary, preferably permit some passage ofwater so that the water within the hold 2% can be circulated by suitablepump equipment in order to prevent freezing.

With regard to operation of the specific fluid baflle and cushioningmeans disclosed in FIGURES 5-8, it will be noted that when the pressureof the water within the hold exceeds the pressure of the air within therespective sheaths 63 and 76, leakage past the respective bafiles andcushioning meanswill occur. With respect to the fluid baflle andcushioning means constructions, illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 8, it willbe evident that a much greater pressure can be withstood because thepressure acting on the plate 35 for example, is transmitted to thecontainer 32 through the roller 9% Since there are an equal number ofthe horizontally disposed fluid baflie and cushioning means on each sideof the container 32 at any point, and since the pressure of the water oneach side of the container 32 will be equal, it will be evident thatsubstantially equal and opposite forces will be applied to the container32 as a result of the water pressure hitting the plates 89. If desired,the plate 8% may be provided with orifices (not illustrated) in order tofacilitate circulation and warming of the water in the hold 29.

It will also be evident that a fluid baffle and cushioning means of thetype shown in FIGURE 7 is primarily effective to prevent passage ofwater only in the upward direction, and according is suitable primarilyonly when disposed horizontally as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The fluidbaffle construction shown in FIGURE 8 operates in substantially the samemanner as the means 60 of FIGURE 7, except that it is eiiective toretard the passage of water in either direction normal to the plates 94and 96. Accordingly, the means 92 may be disposed either horizontally orvertically and may be used to replace any of the fluid bafile andcushioning means as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

After the vessel 12 has arrived at its destination, the container 32 maybe unloaded and towed to its final berth and serve as a storage tankfrom which the liquefied natural gas may be used as needed. In thisregard it will be appreciated that the container may be unloaded whilethe vessel 12 is anchored oifshore so that no special port facilitiesare required to unload the container. Further, the container 32 mayeasily be towed up inland waterways impassable by the ocean going vessel12, and may also serve as a storage facility and dock during the periodof time when the natural gas is being used, as needed, from thecontainer. An empty container 32 may then be loaded in the hold of thevessel 12 in the manner previously described for transport back to thecompression station for refill.

It will be appreciated that a plurality of small containers 32 may becarried in the hold merely by providing suitable cushioning meansbetween the adjacent containers. The smaller containers may then bedropped off at several different ports, as the demand may arise. It willbe evident to those skilled in the art that the number and arrangementof the combination fluid baflie and cushioning means may vary widelyfrom one application to the next. However, suflicient means should beprovided to prevent appreciable movement of the container arouse-s 32 inany direction and to absorb the impact of any movement which does occur.Further, suflicient fluid bathing should be provided to prevent theballast water in the hold from quickly migrating from one end of thehold to the other during pitching movement of the vessel. Otherwise thevessel could conceivably be swamped by an oscillatory type buildup orwave motion of the ballast water. Longitudinal shifting of the ballastwater is prevented both by the vertically disposed battle means whichprevent movement of the water longitudinally of the hold and by thehorizontally disposed bathe means which prevent the upward movement ofthe water because as the water moves toward and becomes deeper at oneend of the hold, the deepening water must move upwardly between thecontainer 32 and the walls of the hold 2%. As the water deepens ateither end of the hold 20, the corresponding. end of the container 32will be buoyed upwardly with a greater force. However, the holddownmeans 120 will absorb the force and will not permit the container torise excessively.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that an improved andhighly simplified apparatus for transport ing and storing liquefiednatural gas has been disclosed.

The ballast water usually necessary for stability purposes is used forloading and supporting the liquid container and for thermally insulatingthe container from the structural steel of the vessel so that the bulkspace available for transporting the liquefied natural gas issubstantially increased. The containers may be used for storage purposesat the destination and may be constructed from more inexpensivematerials, such as reinforced concrete. The vessel need not have anysecondary layers of permanent insulation because the liquefied gascontainers are not in direct contact with the structural steel of thevessel. No inert gas purge system or frost spot sensing systems would berequired because any gas leaking from the container is free to escape tothe atmosphere. Further, the escaping liquid or gas will tend to freezethe water at the point of leakage and seal the leak. The use of aplurality of smaller containers provides considerable flexibility inmarketing the liquefied gas, particularly in view of the fact that thecontainers may be towed up inland waterways and utilized as storagetanks and thereby eliminate the necessity of building land storagetanks. Similarly, the liquefication plant sites and the distributionterminal sites may be located on inland waterways where deep draftvessels cannot be easily accommodated.

Although a particular embodiment of the present invention has beendisclosed in detail, it is to be understood that various changes andsubstitutions can be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for transporting and storing bulk cargo,

comprising in combination:

a buoyant container means for containing the cargo;

a self-propelled vessel having a hull and a floodable hold therein;

closure means in the hull for opening the hold whereby the buoyantcontainer means can be floated into the hold; and

fluidbafiie means disposed between the hull and the container means whenthe container means is floating in the fioodable hold for retardingmigration of water in the hold longitudinally of the vessel as thevessel pitches and rolls, wherein the fluid baffle means comprises;

a plurality of resilient, elongated projections extending from the hullinto the hold and into contact with the container means, the elongatedprojections being longitudinally spaced and disposed normal to thelongitudinal axis of the vessel.

2. Apparatus for transporting and storing bulk cargo,

comprising the combination defined in claim 1 wherein the resilientelongated projections each comprise an infiatedsheath for alsocushioning impact of the container against the hull.

3. Apparatus for transporting and storing bulk cargo, comprising incombination:

a buoyant container means for containing the cargo;

a self-propelled vessel having a hull and a fioodable hold therein;

closure means in the hull for opening the hold whereby the buoyantcontainer means can be floated into the hold; and

fluid bafiie means disposed between the hull and the container meanswhen the container means is floating in the fioodable hold for retardingvertical migration of water in the hold as the vessel pitches and rolls.

4. Apparatus for transporting and storing bulk cargo,

comprising in combination: a buoyant container means for containing thecargo;

a self-propelled vessel having a hull and a floodable hold therein;

closure means in the hull for opening the hold whereby the buoyantcontainer means can be floated into the hold; and

horizontally disposed elongated fluid bafile means extending from thehull into the hold and into contact with the container means forretarding vertical migration of water in the hold as the vessel pitchesand rolls.

5. Apparatus for transporting and storing liquefied hydrocarbon cargo,comprising in combination:

a buoyant container means for containing the cargo;

a self-propelled vessel having a hull and a floodable hold therein;

closure means in the hull for opening the hold whereby the buoyantcontainer can be floated into the hold;

resilient means disposed between the hull and the buoyant container toserve both to cushion the container means within the hold and to retardmigration of water in the hold; and wherein said buoyant container meanscomprises;

an outer concrete shell, 7

a liner of thermal insulating material within the concrete shell, and

an inner liner disposed within the liner of thermal insulating materialfor containing the hydrocarbon cargo.

6. Apparatus for transporting and storing bulk cargo, comprising thecombination defined in claim 1 wherein the elongated projections eachcomprise:

a pair of diverging plates each pivotally connected to the hull alongone longitudinally extending edge, said one edge being disposedgenerally parallel; and,

resilient tension means interconnecting midpoint of the plates andtending to urge the plates together whereby the other edges of theplates will be moved generally away from the wall of the hull intoengagement with the container means.

7. Apparatus for transporting and storing bulk cargo, comprising thecombination defined in claim 6 further characterized by:

means for spreading the plates apart against the bias of the resilienttension means whereby the other edges of the plate-s will be withdrawnfrom the hold and moved toward the hull to facilitate loading thecontainer means into the hold.

8. Apparatus for transporting and storing bulk cargo, comprising thecombination as defined in claim 4 wherein the elongated fluid bafilemeans comprises:

an elongated plate pivotally connected to the hull along onelongitudinally extending edge and extending downwardly at an angle tothe horizontal; and,

resilient shock absorber means interconnecting a midpoint of the plateand the hull below the plate for biasing the other longitudinallyextending edge away from the hull into engagement with the containermeans and for restricting and cushioning movement of the containerWithin the hold.

9. Apparatus [for transporting and storing bulk cargo, comprising thecombination as defined in. claim 4 wherein the elongated fluid bafil'emeans comprises:

a pair of elongated, diverging plates each pivotally connected to thehull along one longitudinally extending edge, said one edge beingdisposed generally parallel; and,

resilient tension means interconnecting midpoint of the plates tendingto urge the plates together whereby the other edges of the plates willbe moved away from the wall of the hull into engagement with thecontainer means for cushioning movement of the container means withinthe hold.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,406,084 8/46Levin 114-73 X 2,911,125 11/59 Dosker 220-ll 2,95 4,892 10/ 60 Dosker220-41 3,034,309 5/ 62 Muck.

FOREIGN PATENTS 894,878 4/62 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES Janes Fighting Ships, 1961-1962, page 378, VA 40 F5.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner.

MILTON BUCHLER, Examiner.

3. APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING AND STORING BULK CARGO, COMPRISING INCOMBINATION: A BUOYANT CONTAINER MEANS FOR CONTAINING THE CARGO; ASELF-PROPELLED VESSEL HAVING A HULL AND A FLOODABLE HOLD THEREIN;CLOSURE MEANS IN THE HULL FOR OPENING THE HOLD WHEREBY THE BUOYANTCONTAINER MEANS CAN BE FLOATED INTO THE HOLD; AND